Systems and methods for user entrainment

ABSTRACT

A system for altering the brain state of a user is disclosed. The system may receive, from at least one sensor, data associated with one or more biometric markers of the user, and determine a brain state of the user based on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers of the user. The system may determine a desired altered cognitive/emotional state of the user (or a desired brainwave state), and cause one or more emitters to apply a stimulus or stimuli to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/877,602, filed Jul. 23, 2019, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/961,435, filed Jan. 15, 2020, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/049,203, filed Jul. 8, 2020, the contents ofwhich are fully incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for cognitivestate and brainwave adjustment, and more specifically, to methods andsystems for sensing physiological signals as biometric markers and/oraltering cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. The presentdisclosure also relates generally to a light emitter device and system,and more specifically, to a light emitter device and system for userentrainment by applying light, sound, and/or other stimuli.

BACKGROUND

Brainwave frequencies of humans are associated with certain functions.The brainwave frequencies associated with different states may vary byuser. In general, for example, gamma waves (e.g., brainwaves greaterthan about 40 Hz) are associated with mental activities such asperception, problem solving, and consciousness; beta waves (e.g.,brainwaves between about 13-39 Hz) are associated with active mentalactivities such as busy thinking, active processing, activeconcentration, arousal, and cognition; alpha waves (e.g., brainwavesbetween about 7-13 Hz) are associated with calm and relaxed, but fullyconscious, mental states; theta waves (e.g., brainwaves between about4-7 Hz) are associated with deep meditation and relaxation, as well asrapid eye movement (REM) sleep; delta waves (e.g., brainwaves less thanabout 4 Hz) are associated with deep dreamless sleep and loss of bodyawareness. In addition, various stimuli, including light, sound, andtactile stimuli are known to affect cognitive states and brainwavecompositions of humans.

The retina is the light sensitive portion of the eye for processingexternal light or photo stimuli. In general, the retina contains atleast six different types of neurons: bipolar cells, retinal ganglioncells, horizontal cells, retina amacrine cells, and rod and conephotoreceptors. Light enters the retina and projects to the layer of rodand cone photoreceptors located at the inner surface of the retina.Horizontal cells help to integrate and regulate the input from the rodand cone photoreceptors. The rod and cone photoreceptors projectinformation to ganglion cells via the intermediate bipolar cells andretina amacrine cells. Retinal ganglion cells have long axons that formthe optic nerve, optic chiasm, and optic tract to transmit informationfrom the retina to various regions of the brain including the thalamus,hypothalamus, and mesencephalon.

As described by Peirson et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2009), “Theevolution of irradiance detection: melanopsin and the non-visualopsins,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, thehuman retina contains different types of retinal ganglion cells,including intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs),also called photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGC) ormelanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs), that regulatebehaviors that depend on light, but not necessarily on vision. Unlikeother types of retinal ganglion cells, ipRGCs are intrinsicallyphotosensitive due to the presence of melanopsin, a light-sensitiveprotein. The melanopsin of the ipRGCs is able to isomerizeall-trans-retinal into 11-cis-retinal without requiring additional celltypes when stimulated with light. The 11-cis-retinal isoform is moreresponsive to shorter wavelengths of light, while the all-trans isoformis more responsive to longer wavelengths of light. Accordingly, asdescribed by Peirson et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2009), “Theevolution of irradiance detection: melanopsin and the non-visualopsins,” in addition to the rod and cone photoreceptors described above,ipRGCs represent a third type of retinal photoreceptor. However, unlikethe other photoreceptors, ipRGCs respond to light by depolarizing, thusincreasing the rate at which they fire nerve impulses, which is oppositeto that of other photoreceptors which hyperpolarize in response tolight.

The ipRGCs are thought to have the primary role of signaling light forlargely subconscious, non-image-forming visual reflexes includingpupillary constriction, neuroendocrine regulation, including secretionof melatonin via the pineal gland, and synchronizing circadianphysiological rhythms to the natural daily cycle of light and dark oftenreferred to as circadian photoentrainment, as described by Peirson etal. In a healthy and normally functioning human body, a rhythmic releaseof melatonin is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of theanterior hypothalamus which is ideally synchronized with the sleep-wakeand daily dark-light cycles. Desynchronization or disruption ofcircadian rhythms, such as desynchronization of endogenous sleep-wakecycles and daytime-nighttime cycles, have been associated with a numberof different adverse mental and metabolic conditions including on sleep,stress, anxiety, as well as other health conditions. As described by Doet al., Physio Rev. 2010 October; 90(4): 1547-1581, “IntrinsicallyPhotosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells,” which is incorporated herein byreference, the ipRGCs project through the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT)to the SCN and a variety of other brain regions serving nonimage visionincluding the intergeniculate leaflet (EGL, a center for circadianentrainment), the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN, a control center forthe pupillary light reflex), the ventral sub-paraventricular zone (vSPZ,implicated in “negative masking” or acute arrest of locomotor activityby light in nocturnal animals), and the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus(VLPO, a control center for sleep).

Additionally, melatonin is known to play an important role in manyfunctions of the human body, including sleep and regulation of thesleep-wake cycles. Secretion of melatonin is a signal for relaxation andlower body temperature associated with high quality sleep. In general,melatonin levels in the human body are elevated during the night, whichprovides a signal for the body to rest. Although, melatonin is notnecessary for sleep, and no particular amount is melatonin is necessaryfor sleep, higher levels of melatonin secretion have been associatedwith higher quality and more restful sleep. In general, however, many ofthe specific mechanisms and responses to light are not well understoodby the scientific community at large.

As described below, entrainment may refer to the capacity of the brainto naturally synchronize its brainwave frequencies with the rhythm ofperiodic external stimuli, such as auditory, visual, and/or tactile. Aswill be apparent from context, entrainment may refer to synchronizationof circadian rhythm to a desired light and dark cycle.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an example embodiment, a system for altering the brainstate of a user is disclosed. In this example embodiment, the systemreceives, from at least one sensor, data associated with one or morebiometric markers of the user, and determines a brain state of the userbased on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers ofthe user. The system determines a desired altered cognitive state of theuser (or a desired brainwave state), and causes an emitter to apply astimulus to the user.

According to an example embodiment, a system for entraining the user'scircadian rhythms is disclosed. The system may include an emittercomprising at least one stimulus configured to be applied to the user,and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having instructions stored. When theinstructions are executed, the processor may perform operations to:control a light condition to reproduce light spectra based on apredefined natural sunrise and sunset light condition, adjust spectralcomposition to change in time to match the predefined natural sunriseand sunset light condition, and project light at a predetermined time tostimulate the user in a way that engages their circadian biology andassists with circadian entrainment.

According to an example embodiment, a system for supporting a user'ssleep is disclosed. The system may include at least one sensorconfigured to sense one or more biometric markers of a user, an emittercomprising at least one stimulus configured to be applied to the user,and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having instructions stored. When theinstructions are executed, the processor may perform operations to:receive, from the at least one sensor, data associated with the one ormore biometric markers of the user, determine a sleep state of the userbased on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers ofthe user, determine a desired sleep state of the user, and cause theemitter to apply the stimulus to the user to reinforce or alter theuser's sleep state.

According to an example embodiment, systems and methods for applyingnon-visual light entrainment to a subject is disclosed.

A system for stimulating a user is described, the system comprising: alight emitting device having a first light and a second light, whereinthe first light is configured to emit a first wavelength of light,wherein the second light is configured to emit a second wavelength oflight; and a controller for controlling the first light and the secondlight, wherein the first light is controlled to oscillate the firstwavelength of light within a first range of entrainment frequencies,wherein the second light is controlled to oscillate the secondwavelength of light within a second range of entrainment frequencies.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosedprinciples. The features and advantages of the disclosure can berealized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and otherfeatures of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims, or can be learned by thepractice of the principles set forth herein.

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readablestorage media as a technical solution to the technical problemdescribed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention and together with the detailed description serve to explainthe principles of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary circuit board arrangement for a lightemitter in a flattened view, according to an embodiment, FIG. 2Billustrates an exemplary circuit board arrangement for a light emitterin a flattened view, according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2C illustratesa side view of three adjacent lighting units, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diffuser screen for a light emitter in aflattened view, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an exemplary printed circuit board, accordingto an embodiment, FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary printed circuitboard, according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4D illustrates an exemplaryprinted circuit board, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an exemplary printed circuit board, accordingto an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary flexible electronics, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 7A-7G illustrate exemplary control zones of a light emitter,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate exemplary systems of coupling a light emittingdiode to a printed circuit board, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate exemplary light emitting diode arrangements,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate example waves, according to differentembodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method of controlling a stimulus.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user control interface.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example user control interface.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example device worn by a user, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example device, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example therapeutic device, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example light emitter, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate perspective views of an example lightemitter, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example light emitter with respect to a subject,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example light emitter with respect to a subject,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C illustrates example room lighting devices,according to different embodiments.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for dosing lightand/or other stimulus, including to a subject, and to entraining asubject. For explanatory purposes, a system and method that applies alight stimulus to a subject will be primarily described. Example devicesfor applying a light as a stimulus are described in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/877,602, filed Jul. 23, 2019, U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/961,435, filed Jan. 15, 2020, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/049,203, filed Jul. 8, 2020, each ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Variousembodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. Whilespecific example implementations are described, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. Other components andconfigurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scopeof the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 according to an example embodiment. Inone embodiment, the system 100 is configured to emit a light stimulus toa user. According to an embodiment, the system 100 may include a sensorsub-system 110, an emitter sub-system 120, and a controller sub-system130. As explained in more detail below, the system 100 may be configuredto determine different inputs from the sensor sub-system 110, includingcharacteristics sensed from the user's body and/or the user'senvironment, in order to apply light or other stimulus to the user viathe emitter sub-system 120, based on control by the controllersub-system 130.

The sensor sub-system 110 may include one or more sensors for sensingand/or recording biometric information of a user, such as one or moremarkers of a user's parasympathetic nervous system. In general,biometric markers of the parasympathetic nervous system may include, forexample, heart rate, heart rate variability, rate of blood flow, bloodpressure, body temperature, electrodermal activity (e.g., galvanic skinresponse), and/or other one or more biometric markers.

The emitter sub-system 120 may include one or more stimulus emitters.For example, the emitter sub-system 120 may emit a visual, auditory, ortactile stimulus, or any combination thereof, to a user, as explained indetail below. In one embodiment, the emitter sub-system 120 may beconfigured to apply a predetermined amount of light to the user in orderto apply light to stimulate the user's retinal ganglion cells, such asfor entrainment of a user's brainwave to a frequency and/or photicentrainment of the circadian rhythm. The predetermined amount of light,for example, may include a predetermined intensity or amplitude of oneor more wavelengths of light applied a predetermined entrainmentfrequency or pulse rate (Hz). As described in more detail below, thelight may be applied to stimulate the user's central nervous system andmetabolic systems and produce a desired brainwave state in the user.According to an embodiment, sound emitter sub-system 140, the tactileemitter sub-system 160, and/or the bone conduction sub-system 170 may besimilarly configured to emit their respective stimulus at predeterminedintensity or amplitude applied a predetermined entrainment frequency orpulse rate (Hz).

The controller sub-system 130 may receive the data collected from thesensors of the sensor sub-system 110, and process the sensor data todetermine or predict the user's cognitive state and/or brainwavecomposition. For example, the controller sub-system 130 may determine orpredict the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition withoutactually directly measuring the user's brainwaves. The controllersub-system 130 may, based on the determined or predicted cognitive stateor brainwave composition, determine one or more stimuli to apply to theuser to alter the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition.The controller sub-system 130 may then control the emitter sub-system120 to apply the determined stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may determinea sleep state of the user based on data associated with the one or morebiometric markers of the user from the sensor sub-system 110. Thecontroller sub-system 130 may determine a desired sleep state of theuser based on, for example, empirical data from other users or fromhistorical data of the user, and may cause the emitter sub-system 120 toapply a stimulus to the user to reinforce or alter the user's sleepstate.

The sensor sub-system 110, the emitter sub-system 120, and thecontroller sub-system 130 may communicate with each other over one ormore data links 180, which may include a wired or wireless link. Forinstance, in an embodiment where the sensor sub-system 110, the emittersub-system 120, and the controller sub-system 130 are integrated into asingle device, the data link 180 may include a circuit path along aprinted circuit board (PCB) on which the sensor sub-system and thecontroller sub-system 130 are both connected. In an embodiment where thesensor sub-system 110, the emitter sub-system 120, and the controllersub-system 130 are implemented as two or more separate, discretedevices, the data link 180 may include a wired connection (e.g., USB,etc.) or a wireless connection based on an established protocol (e.g.,Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, etc.) or another protocol, such as a proprietaryprotocol.

Sensor Sub-System

According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-system 110 may sense andtrack biometric data related to emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and/orsleep quality or function of the user. For example, the sensorsub-system 110 may detect an elevated stress level of the user based onsensed biometric data from the sensor sub-system 110. As anotherexample, the sensor sub-system 110 may determine that the user is in astate of anxiety or depression based on sensed biometric data from thesensor sub-system 110. As another example, the sensor sub-system 110 maydetermine that the user is in a state of fatigue based on sensedbiometric data from the sensor sub-system 110. As another example, thesensor sub-system 110 may determine the circadian phase or the extent ofcircadian synchrony (or lack thereof, as in jetlag or other disruptedstates) of the user.

According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-system 110 may include one ormore sensors configured to detect a biometric marker related to theparasympathetic nervous system. For example, the sensor sub-system 110may include one or more sensors, such as, but not limited to, a galvanicsensor, an infrared sensor, a photoplethysmographic sensor, a heart ratesensor, a temperature sensor, other types of sensors, and/orcombinations thereof to detect markers for the parasympathetic nervoussystem.

Emitter Sub-System—Visual Stimulus

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system 120 may include alight emitter sub-system 140 having one or more lights to emitlight-based stimulus to the user. The one or more lights may be, forexample, a micro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) or LED configured toemit light at a predetermined frequency and brightness (e.g.photo-stimulation) according to the controller sub-system 130 andexplained in further detail below. For example, the one or more lightsmay provide a visual stimulus (for example, photo-stimulation) to theuser when the light emitter sub-system 140 is moved to a locationadjacent to the user's face and eyes.

According to an embodiment, the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140 may emit light in the same direction as the one or moresensors of the sensor sub-system 110. According to an embodiment, theone or more lights of the light emitter sub-system 140 may emit light ina different direction than the one or more sensors of the sensorsub-system 110, such as, for example, in a second direction orthogonalto the first direction of the one or more sensors of the sensorsub-system 110. For example, the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140 may directionally emit light towards the eyes of the userwhen the system 100 is placed at a location adjacent to the user's face.In an embodiment, all of the lights are identical. In anotherembodiment, one or more of the lights differs from the remaining lights,such as in emission color spectrum, maximum or minimum intensity, orother characteristics.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system 140 may beprovided as a standalone system and controlled by the controllersub-system 130.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system 140 may beconfigured to emit light towards a user. As explained in more detailbelow, the light emitter sub-system 140 may be embodied in differentforms to apply light to the user. For example, the light emittersub-system 140 may be configured with one or more lights and controlledby controller sub-system 130 to emit one or more wavelengths of light ata predetermined pulse rate or entrainment frequency. The one or morewavelengths of light may be within the human visual spectrum of lightand/or outside the human visual spectrum of light. In order to entrain auser to a desired brainwave state, the pulse rate or entrainmentfrequency of the one or more lights may correspond to one or more of thebrainwave frequencies described above. For example, in order to entraina user to a theta state, the one or more lights may be pulsed at a ratebetween 4 Hz to 7 Hz for a predetermined amount of time.

Conventionally, for example, light sources were removed in order tosignal a human body to relax and/or prepare for sleep, such as byincreasing secretion of melatonin. In contrast, the inventors havediscovered that the application of light to the human eye, as disclosedherein, improves sleep quality and mood in humans. As described above,ipRGCs are receptive to light and impact neuroendocrine regulation andsynchronization of circadian physiological rhythms, among otherphysiological functions. As described below, the methods and system areconfigured to stimulate a physiological response in the user, such asvia the retina and ipRGCs.

As known to one of ordinary skill in the art, the visible light spectrumto a typical human eye has a range of wavelengths of about 380nanometers to about 740 nanometers (or a frequency range of about 430THz to about 770 THz). Ultra-violet (UV) light is non-visible light to atypical human eye and has a range of wavelengths of about 10 nanometersto less than about 400 nanometers (or a frequency range of about 30 PHzto about 750 THz). Infrared (IR) light is also non-visible light to atypical human eye with a range of wavelengths greater than about 700nanometers to about 10⁶ nanometers (or a frequency range of about 430PHz to about 300 GHz).

According to an embodiment, the non-visual light spectrum, such as UVand IR light, is applied to a user in order to stimulate ipRGCs. Theinventors have discovered that this light stimulation is effective forentrainment or increasing the likelihood of theta and/or deltabrainwaves, such as, for example, to promote specific physiologicalresponses (e.g., restful sleep, increased cognitive ability, etc.).

According to an embodiment, the predetermined amount of light, whetherfrom the visual spectrum or the non-visual spectrum of wavelengths oflight, emitted from the light emitter sub-system 140 may be controlledto a threshold and dynamic range of light response in the ipRGCs, asdescribed by Berson et al., “Phototransduction by Retinal Ganglion CellsThat Set the Circadian Clock,” Vol. 295 SCIENCE (www.sciencemag.org),which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the lightemitter sub-system 140 may be controlled to emit specific wavelengths oflight (and oscillations thereof, as described below) to a predeterminedamount of a retinal irradiance range. According to an embodiment, thelight may be controlled to levels that are only perceived by the ipRGCsin order to stimulate the SCM. This light can be within the visualspectrum of light but controlled to levels that are otherwiseimperceptible or not visible to a user. As shown in Table 1, forexample, various wavelengths of light may be controlled to within rangesof retinal irradiance in order to regulate and/or stimulate the ipRGCs.

TABLE 1 Wavelength Retinal irradiance (nm) (photons s⁻¹ cm⁻²) 365-40010^(14.0) 400-460 10^(13.5) 460-500 10^(13.4) 500-520 10^(12.8) 520-57010^(13.7) 570-600 10^(14.2) 600-760 10^(15.8)

Emitter Sub-System—Auditory Stimulus

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system 120 may include asound emitter sub-system 150 having one or more speakers 152 to emitsound-based stimulus to the user. The one or more speakers 152 may beconfigured to emit sound at a predetermined frequency and volume (e.g.,auditory stimulation) according to the controller sub-system 130 andexplained in further detail below. For example, the one or more speakers152 may provide auditory-stimulation to the user when the emittersub-system 120 is moved to a location adjacent to the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the one or more speakers 152 may emit soundin the same direction as the one or more sensors of the sensorsub-system 110. According to an embodiment, the one or more speakers 152may emit sound in a different direction than the one or more sensors ofthe sensor sub-system 110, such as, for example, in a second directionorthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensors of thesensor sub-system 110. According to an embodiment, the one or morespeakers 152 of the sound emitter sub-system 150 may emit sound in adifferent direction than the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140, such as, for example, in a third direction at an angleto the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the oneor more speakers 152 of the sound emitter sub-system 150 maydirectionally emit sound towards the ears of the user, while the one ormore lights of the light emitter sub-system 140 may directionally emitlight towards the eyes of the user, when the system 100 is placed at alocation adjacent to the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the sound emitter sub-system 150 may beprovided as a standalone system and controlled by the controllersub-system 130. For example, the sound emitter sub-system 150 mayinclude headphones, earbuds, and or a speaker for emitting the sound todirectly to one user or to a plurality of users.

Emitter Sub-System—Tactile Stimulus

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system 120 may include atactile emitter sub-system 160 having one or more motors to emit tactileor haptic-based stimulus to the body or hands of a user. The one or moremotors may be, for example, but not limited to, an eccentric rotatingmotor (ERM) or a linear resonant actuator (LRA) configured to emitvibration at a predetermined frequency and strength according to thecontroller sub-system 130 and explained in further detail below. Forexample, the one or more motors may provide tactile stimulation to theuser with the tactile emitter sub-system 160.

According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the tactileemitter sub-system 160 may emit vibration in the same direction as theone or more sensors of the sensor sub-system 110. According to anembodiment, the one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system 160may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more sensorsof the sensor sub-system 110, such as, for example, in a seconddirection orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensorsof the sensor sub-system 110. According to an embodiment, the one ormore motors of the tactile emitter sub-system 160 may emit vibration ina different direction than the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140, such as, for example, in a fourth direction at an angleto the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the oneor more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system 160 may directionallyemit vibration towards the face of the user, while the one or morespeakers of the sound emitter sub-system 150 may directionally emitsound towards the ears of the user, while the one or more lights of thelight emitter sub-system 140 may directionally emit light towards theeyes of the user, when the system 100 is placed at a location on theuser's face.

According to an embodiment, the tactile emitter sub-system 160 may beprovided as a standalone system and controlled by the controllersub-system 130.

According to an embodiment, piezoelectric transducers may be used toapply tactile stimuli to the user.

Emitter System—Bone Conduction (Combination Auditory/Tactile Stimulus)

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system 120 may include abone conduction sub-system 170 having one or more motors to emitvibration-based stimulus to the user via the jawbone or cheekbone of theuser. The vibration-based stimulus applied to the jawbone or cheekboneof the user are received by the cochlea and perceived by the user assound. The one or more motors may be, for example, but not limited to,an eccentric rotating motor (ERM) or a linear resonant actuator (LRA)configured to emit vibration, and perceived sound, at a predeterminedfrequency and strength according to the controller sub-system 130 andexplained in further detail below. For example, the one or more motorsmay provide auditory-stimulation and tactile-stimulation to the userwhen the bone conduction sub-system 170 is moved into contact with theuser's face, such as on the jawbone or cheekbone.

According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the boneconduction sub-system 170 may emit vibration in the same direction asthe one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system 110. According to anembodiment, the one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system 170may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more sensorsof the sensor sub-system 110, such as, for example, in a seconddirection orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensorsof the sensor sub-system 110. According to an embodiment, the one ormore motors of the bone conduction sub-system 170 may emit vibration ina different direction than the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140, such as, for example, in a fourth direction at an angleto the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the oneor more motors of the bone conduction sub-system 170 may directionallyemit vibration on the face of the user, while the one or more speakersof the sound emitter sub-system 150 may directionally emit sound towardsthe ears of the user, while the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140 may directionally emit light towards the eyes of theuser, when the system 100 is placed at a location on the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the bone conduction sub-system 170 may beprovided as a standalone system and controlled by the controllersub-system 130.

Controller Sub-System

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to receive data, such as biometric marker data relating tothe user's parasympathetic nervous system, sensed by the sensorsub-system 110. According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system130 may utilize a general-purpose computing device 400, as explained inmore detail below.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to receive data, such as biometric marker data relating tothe user's parasympathetic nervous system, sensed by the sensor system110, in order to determine or predict the user's cognitive state and/orbrainwave composition. According to an embodiment, the user's brainwavecomposition is determined or predicted.

According to an embodiment, the user's brainwave composition isdetermined or predicted without directly measuring the user'sbrainwaves.

According to an embodiment, the user's biometric data is processed inreal time by the general-purpose computing device 400.

According to an embodiment, the general-purpose computing device 400contains algorithms that predict cognitive states/brainwave compositionbased upon the user's biometric data. For example, the controllersub-system 130 may use a set of stored data of empirical testing ofusers in different known cognitive states and/or brainwave compositions.The controller sub-system 130 may compare the user's biometric data tothe set of stored data to predict the current cognitive state and/orbrainwave composition of the user. For example, changes in brainwavesmay be associated with changes in heart rate, heart rate variability, orgalvanic skin response. The data sensed from the biosensors may detectchanges in these or other relevant biological outputs to predict thecurrent cognitive state and/or brainwave composition of the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to determine a desired cognitive state or brainwave state ofthe user. For example, the controller sub-system 130 may use a set ofstored data of empirical testing of users to determine likely desiredcognitive states and/or brainwave compositions. The controllersub-system 130 may compare the user's biometric data to the set ofstored data to predict the user's desired cognitive state and/orbrainwave composition. According to an embodiment, the controllersub-system 130 may receive a user selection to select a desiredcognitive state or brainwave state of the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to control the emitter sub-system 120 based on the datasensed by the sensor sub-system 110.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to control the emitter sub-system 120 based on a predefinednatural sunrise and sunset light conditions. For example, naturalsunrise and sunset light conditions may be measured according to auser's location or desired location. Such conditions may be measuredlight spectra over time of a natural sunrise and natural sunset. Thecontroller sub-system 130 may be loaded with the measurements as apredefined light spectra of the natural sunrise and natural sunset. Thecontroller sub-system 130 may be configured to adjust and project thespectral composition of the light emitter sub-system 140 to match oremulate the predefined light spectra of the natural sunrise and naturalsunset when in use. The controller sub-system 130 may be furtherconfigured to notify the user to use the device at a predetermined timein order to stimulate the user in a way that engages their circadianbiology and assists with circadian entrainment, as explained above.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system 140, and/or thesound emitter sub-system 150, and/or the tactile emitter sub-system 160,and/or the bone conduction sub-system, can deliver rhythmic stimuli withproperties specified by the controller sub-system 130 when the user'sbiometric data provided by the sensor sub-system 110 indicate anundesired state. These rhythmic neurological stimuli are configured andsynchronized to algorithmically influence the user's endogenousbrainwave composition and associated cognitive states.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to control one or more of the light emitter sub-system 140,sound emitter sub-system 150, tactile emitter sub-system 160, and/orbone conduction sub-system 170 to increase probability of altering thecognitive state or brainwaves of a user. For example, the controllersub-system 130 may be configured to simultaneously control the lightemitter sub-system 140 and sound emitter sub-system 150 or boneconduction system 170 to provide a neurological stimulus.

Light Emitter & Diffuser

Various aspects of the light emitter sub-system 140 will now bediscussed with respect to FIGS. 2A-2C and 3. In one embodiment, thelight emitter sub-system 140 includes a light emitter 16 and a diffuserscreen 32. The light emitter 16 may be formed of one or more lightingunits 40, each lighting unit 40 including a substrate (e.g., printedcircuit board (PCB)) and one or more light emitters mounted on thesubstrate. The diffuser screen 32 is overlaid on the light emitter anddiffuses light emitted therefrom.

The diffuser screen 32 may be formed of diffuser material. The diffuserscreen 32 may cover or be overlaid onto one or more printed circuitboards (PCBs). According to an embodiment, a small PCB may be formedfrom a larger standard PCB panel. For example, standard PCB panels varyin size, but the most common panel size is about 18 inches by about 24inches. The panel size may limit or dictate the largest possible PCBthat may be formed.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, examples of arrangements of one or more PCBsto be used with the diffuser screen 32 and light emitter 16 are shown.In the examples of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the PCBs may be formed of the units40. Each individual lighting unit 40 includes an individual PCB and maybe shaped and arranged as a narrow vertical strip. The lighting units 40may be coupled or tied together electrically using couplings 42. Forexample, in FIG. 2A, the light emitter 16 may include three lightingunits 40 (e.g., three PCBs) with couplings 42 electrically coupling ortying together each adjacent two lighting units 40. The diffuser screen32 may be overlaid on the lighting units 40 and both the lighting units40 and the diffuser screen 32 may be housed in a housing of lightemitter 16. The lighting units 40 may be small enough to be manufacturedby a standard or conventional process. An air gap 44 may exist betweensides of the lighting units 40. The width of the air gap 44 (e.g., thedistance between sides of the lighting units) may be relatively small.For example, the air gap 44 may be in the range of about 0.04 inches(about 0.10 cm) or less. The air gap 44, for example, may dissipate heatfrom the lighting units 40 and alleviate heating of the diffuser screen32. More or fewer than three lighting units 40 may be provided. Forexample, in FIG. 2B, the diffuser screen 32 and light emitter 16 mayinclude nineteen lighting units 40. And FIG. 2C illustrates a side viewof an example embodiment that includes three lighting units 40.

The lighting units 40 may be sized and dimensioned such that,collectively, the lighting units 40 form generally an elongated oval orelliptical shape. In an example, the centermost lighting unit 40 mayhave the greatest height. The height of the lighting units 40 maygradually decrease from the centermost lighting unit 40 toward each of afirst end 40 a and a second end 40 b of the arrangement of lightingunits 40. The lighting units 40 may have curved upper and lowersurfaces. The lighting units 40 may be substantially straight lateralsides. The lighting units 40 at the ends 40 a, 40 b may be curved suchthat are substantially semi-circular in plan view. Alternatively, thelighting units 40 may collectively form a circular shape, a rectangularshape, or any other shape for emitting a desired profile of light.

The lighting units 40 may be curved. Each lighting unit 40 may curvefrom top to bottom (e.g., about a horizontal axis 46). Each lightingunit 40 may also (or alternatively) curve from side to side (e.g., abouta vertical axis 48). Each lighting unit 40 may have a different amountof curvature about the axis 48. In an example, each lighting unit 40 maybend from top to bottom and adjacent lighting units 40 may have adifferent amount of curvature. In this example, the diffuser screen 32may curve about both the vertical and horizontal axis. Although PCBs mayallow for bending only in a single axis, providing the light emitter 16with many vertical strips may simulate bending in two axes.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the lighting units 40 may be formed ofstandard PCB material. According to an embodiment, the lighting units 40may be formed of a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material such as, forexample, FR4. FR4 is a fiberglass substrate coated with copper, a soldermask (usually green, but may be any color), and printed “silk screen”lettering. FR4 can be turned into PCBs ranging in thickness from 0.02″to 0.12″. Since FR4 is made of fiberglass, FR4 is rigid but can stillachieve gentle bends, especially if thinner FR4 is used. To provide adiffuser screen 32 with a bend radius of about 6 inches, the lightingunits 40 used with the diffuser screen 32 may be formed of FR4 having athickness of about 0.02 inches (0.05 cm). FR4 is only flexible in onedimension, (e.g., FR4 may bend, but it may not cup). That is, as shownin FIG. 4B, FR4 may bend about the axis 46 (FIG. 2A), but not about theaxis 48 (FIG. 2A). To create the bend about axis 48, each lighting unit40 may be placed in the light emitter 16 at a different radius ofcurvature.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the lighting units 40 may be formed of aluminum.For example, the lighting units 40 may be formed of thin sheets ofaluminum. Aluminum is a good thermal conductor and may be helpful inmanaging thermal loads. Similar to FR4, aluminum PCBs are only flexiblein one dimension, that is, an aluminum PCB may slightly bend but may not“cup.” To create the bend about two axes, the aluminum PCB may bearranged in a manner similar to the FR4, and as described with respectto FIGS. 2A-2C, to be used with the diffuser screen 32.

Referring to FIG. 4D, the lighting units 40 may be formed of flexibleprinted circuits (FPC). FPCs may be used when very tight bend radii(less than about 1 inch) are required. FPC may be either aramid fiber,polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, or polyvinyl chloride as asubstrate. The feeling of an FPC is similar to classic 35 mm celluloidcamera film. FPCs are more delicate than other PCBs, require specialmanufacturing techniques, and are more costly (although, the PCB itselfmay be about <5% of the overall assembled PCB or assembled productcost). FPCs are only flexible in one dimension, meaning it can bend butit cannot “cup.” To create the bend about two axes, the FPC may bearranged in a manner similar to the FR4, and as described with respectto FIGS. 2A-2C, to be used with the diffuser screen 32.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the lighting units 40 may be formed of acombination of FR4 50 and FPC 52 into a hybrid rigid flex PCB 54. Thisconfiguration may be used when only a small area of the entire PCB needsto be flexible. Each FPC 52 may form a bridge. The FPC bridge may beflexible in only one dimension, so each bridge may bend but may not“cup.” Multiple bridges may be used to create a kind of cupping effectif some bridges bend in one axis and other bend on another axis. Withthis technique, the lighting units 40 of FIGS. 5A and 5B may be used tobend about two axes and accommodate the shape of the diffuser screen 32.

Referring to FIG. 6, the lighting units 40 may be formed of stretchableelectronics. Stretchable electronics may bend and stretch in many axes.One or more stretchable electronics may be used with the diffuser screen32.

Although any of the examples described in FIGS. 4A-4D, 5, and 6 may beused with the diffuser screen 32, or alternatives not mentioned herein,the diffuser screen 32 may be formed of a thin FR4 PCB.

The light emitter 16 may have spatial control (e.g., spatiallycontrolled zones) for controlling the stimulus provided to the subject.For example, the spatial control may be light controlled zones.According to an embodiment, the light emitter 16 may be have zones thatmay be separately and/or selectively controlled. For example, one ormore control zones may be an area of a predetermined color and/orflicker behavior, such as a constant or variable color and/or flickerbehavior. According to an embodiment, the color and/or flicker may becontrolled selectively, separately, and/or individually for each zone.According to an embodiment, the zones may be physically separated butmay be controlled as a single zone. According to an embodiment, thelight emitter 16 may have one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) ineach of the one or more zones.

The spatial control strategy for the light emitter 16 may depend on howmany unique spatial control zones are required or desired. These lightcontrol zones may or may not correspond to individual PCBs. For example,where more than one PCB is employed in light emitter 16, a control zonemay span multiple PCBs, or may alternatively correspond to eachindividual PCB. Increasing the number of control zones may increase thecomplexity of creating animations or predetermined light stimulus forthe light emitter 16. Complete control of a single-zone diffuser screenmay require tuning of 64 unique parameters. Complete control of aquad-zone diffuser screen may require tuning of 256 parameters. Completecontrol of a multi-zone (e.g., more zones than a quad-zone) diffuserscreen 32 may require tuning of thousands of parameters. Zone controlmight require the use of a tool like video editing software in additionto music production software.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7G, exemplary control zones for the light emitter16 are shown. In FIG. 7A, a light emitter 16A may have a single controlzone 56A. The single control zone 56A may include the peripheral,foveal, and left and right zones. According to an embodiment, aperipheral zone may be completely outside the line of sight of a user.According to an embodiment, a foveal zone may be completely with theline of sight of a user. According to an embodiment, a zone may overlapthe peripheral zone and the foveal zone.

In FIG. 7B, an exemplary light emitter 16B may have dual control zones.The light emitter 16B may have a foveal control zone 56B and aperipheral control zone 58B. The peripheral zones 58B, althoughseparated, may be controlled as a single zone. That is, the left andright peripheral control zones may be controlled together and may thusbehave identically.

In FIG. 7C, an exemplary light emitter 16C may have dual control zones.The light emitter 16C may have a left control zone 56C and a rightcontrol zone 58C.

In FIG. 7D, an exemplary light emitter 16D may have tri-control zones.The light emitter 16D may have a left peripheral control zone 56D, afoveal control zone 58D, and a right peripheral control zone 60D.

In FIG. 7E, an exemplary light emitter 16E may have quad-control zones.The light emitter 16E may have a left peripheral control zone 56E, aleft foveal control zone 58E, a right foveal control zone 60E, and aright peripheral control zone 62E.

In FIG. 7F, an exemplary light emitter 16F may have multi-zone control(e.g., a multi-zone array). The multi-zone control may have multiplezones 56F₁ through 56F_(n).

In FIG. 7G, an exemplary light emitter 16G may have multi-zone gridcontrol. The multi-zone control may have multiple zones 56G₁ through56G_(n).

The examples of FIGS. 7A-7G may be combined (e.g., the multi-zone arraymay include left and right control, peripheral and foveal control, orcombinations thereof). Each zone of the control zones may be controlledindependently, separately, selectively, or combinations thereof.

Each control zone may include one or more LEDs. The LEDs may bedistributed within each control zone. The distribution of LEDs withineach control zone may affect blending and diffusion of color. Thedistribution of LEDS within each control zone may affect the complexityof wiring power and data to all the LEDs. The distribution of LEDS maybe according to the Fibonacci sequence or other dense packingstrategies. Depending on the level of diffusion, the specific placementof each LED may be undetectable to the subject.

The LEDs may be coupled to the PCBs (e.g., to the lighting units 40).According to an embodiment, the LEDs may be wire bonded to the PCB, suchas shown in FIGS. 8A-8C. Wiring-bonding is a process by which a baresilicon die is bonded to a very small PCB substrate. In an exemplaryembodiment, the substrate may be about 0.2 in.×0.2 in. and each silicondie (e.g., an LED chip) may be about 0.02 in.×0.02 in. Wire bonding mayallow for very dense packing of integrated circuits. In an exemplaryembodiment, the LEDs may constitute discrete LEDs that are soldered tothe PCB. In an embodiment, both wire bonding and soldering may be usedto couple the LEDs to the PCB. FIG. 8D illustrates a comparison in sizebetween a wire-bonded chip-on-board package containing an LED chip, andindividual discrete LEDs.

FIGS. 9A-9F show exemplary LED distributions for each control zone.Although depicted as a square, other shape control zones (such as thoseshown in FIGS. 7A-7G) may be provided. The LED distributions (e.g.,packing strategies) of FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate eight (8) LEDs for each ofeight (8) color channels. In FIG. 9A, an exemplary control zone may havethe LEDs arranged in horizontal bands. In FIG. 9B, an exemplary controlzone may have the LEDs arranged in vertical bands. In FIG. 9C, anexemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in radial bands. InFIG. 9D, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in asemi-random nature. In FIG. 9E, an exemplary control zone may have theLEDs arranged as discrete LED clusters (approximating chip-on-board). InFIG. 9F, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged as smallchip-on-board emitters. In one embodiment, one or more of the LEDs mayconstitute an organic LED (OLED), high-definition OLED (HD-OLED), and/orultra-wide-gamut OLED. In one embodiment, all the LEDs in the device areof the same type. In another embodiment, the LEDs of are of differenttype. In one exemplary embodiment, some of the LEDs disposed in acentral region of the field of view are OLED, HD-OLED, orultra-wide-gamut OLED, while some of the LEDs disposed in a peripheralregion of the field of view are non-organic LEDs. In one embodiment, thelight emitter 16 includes one or more LEDs capable of emitting UV lightat (and/or beyond) a peripheral region of the field of view of a user.In one embodiment, the one or more LEDs capable of emitting UV light at(and/or beyond) a peripheral region of the field of view of a user areconfigured to emit light in the UV wavelength without emitting light invisible wavelengths.

The diffuser material for the diffuser screen 32 may allow for thetransmission of ultraviolet (UV) and/or infrared (IR) light. Thediffuser material may affect the aesthetics and/or lighting performanceof the diffuser screen 32. Transmission spectra curves of variouspolymers (e.g., polystyrene, cyclic olefin polymer or copolymer,polycarbonate, PMMA (acrylic), ultraviolet acrylic) that may be employedfor the diffuser material 32 are published by GS Optics, and areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Some polymers maybe able to transmit UV light down to approximately 350 nm. The diffusermaterial may be a polymer, quartz, UV-fused silica, float glass, orcombinations thereof. The diffuser material may have a surface finish(e.g., bead blasting) that may scatter light. The diffuser material mayhave a dopant that may scatter light. Some of these materials may not beflexible and may require the diffuser screen 32 to be tiled with severalor many smaller pieces together into a larger mosaic.

According to an embodiment, the entire diffuser screen 32 may beconstructed of a single material with one level of opacity (eitheropacity within specific wavelength ranges or overall opacity). Inanother embodiment, the diffuser screen 32 may be constructed ofmultiple materials with different levels of opacity. In one exemplaryembodiment, the diffuser screen 32 may be constructed of differentmaterials depending on the location along the field of view of thediffuser screen 32. According to an embodiment, the diffuser screen 32may be constructed of one or more UV-absorbing diffuser materialsbetween a central to mid-peripheral region with a first level of opacityand one or more UV-transmissive diffuser materials between amid-peripheral and a far-peripheral region with a second level ofopacity. Examples of such UV-transmissive materials include, but are notlimited to, quartz, glass, or UV-transparent polymers. In oneembodiment, the diffuser screen 32 includes at least one of a wavebypass filter material, a tint layer, and a Fresnel lens.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter 16 may include a dualcontrol zone having a foveal and peripheral control (e.g., FIG. 7B), mayinclude a three piece mechanical PCB design (e.g., FIG. 2A) made fromthin semi-flexible FR4 PCBs (with mechanical breaks between the fovealand peripheral zones), may include eight (8) discrete package LEDScontrolled by at least two (and possibly three or four) discrete LEDpulse width modulation (PWM) controllers, may include vertical (e.g.,FIG. 9B) or horizontal (e.g., FIG. 9A) band packing strategy, and mayinclude a polymer (not glass) diffuser material for diffuser screen 32.

The system of the present disclosure may include a diffuser screenincluding any combination of the aforementioned features. The diffuserscreen may be shaped, sized, and designed to deliver a stimulus to asubject.

Light Entrainment

As described further below, the light emitter sub-system 140 may beconfigured to emit only visual wavelengths of light, only non-visualwavelengths of light (such as either UV light, IR light, or both), or acombination of both visual and non-visual wavelengths of light. Thelight emitter sub-system 140, including the individual wavelengths oflight or combination of wavelengths of light described above, may becontrolled by controller sub-system 130 to: (1) emit one or morewavelengths of light, (2) control the intensity, amount and/or retinalirradiance of the respective one or more wavelengths of light, (3)control the entrainment frequency or pulse rate of the respective one ormore wavelengths of light (e.g., oscillations of the intensity of therespective one or more wavelengths of light), and/or (4) control theshape of the pulses of light (as illustrated in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and10C).

For example, the entrainment frequencies of the respective one or morewavelengths of light may be controlled by the depth or relative dimmingof amplitude between the brightest and dimmest parts of an oscillatingwave may be controlled by a depth control. For example, a depth of 100%may indicate that a wave oscillates between a swatch (or selected) colorand black, such as illustrated in the FIG. 10A. A depth of 80% mayindicate that the wave oscillates between the swatch color and 80%dimmer than the swatch color. A 30% depth is illustrated in the wave ofFIG. 10B. According to an embodiment, a width of a square wave, whichindicates a proportion of the square wave that is in the max brightnessstate compared to the total period of the waveform, may be controlled bya pulse width control. For example, a pulse width of 25% may indicatethat the wave is bright 25% of the time and dim 75% of the time, such asillustrated in wave of FIG. 10C.

The speed of the oscillations or pulse rate are controlled in order toincrease likelihood of brainwave entrainment to a desired frequency orentrainment frequency. As indicated in Table 2 below, provided as anexemplary but not limiting example, entrainment frequencies may beprovided in sequential stages in order to enhance likelihood ofentrainment of a user in response to the applied stimulus.

TABLE 2 Stage Pre-Idle Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage n Post-Idle Duration (time)1 minute 1.5 minutes 1.5 minutes 1.5 minutes 1 minute OscillationFrequency 0.1-1 Hz Alpha Theta and Beta and 0.1-1 Hz (Hz) Alpha Alpha

According to an embodiment, the pre-idle stage is provided in order toassuage a user for the entrainment frequencies of the later stages. Thecontroller sub-system 130 sets an oscillation frequency in this stage atabout the frequency of a person's resting heart rate of about 60 beatsper minute (bpm) or slower or 64 bpm or slower. The oscillationfrequency at this stage may be applied at a constant rate. The pre-idlestage provides a calming or relaxing sensation to the user to preparefor the entrainment oscillations of later stages. According to anembodiment, the sensor sub-system 110 may sense the user's heart rateand send the information in real-time to the controller sub-system 130.The controller sub-system 130 may dynamically adjust the oscillationfrequency to match the user's heart rate based on the sensor sub-system110.

According to an embodiment, in stages 1-3, the controller sub-system 130sets an oscillation frequency to an entrainment frequency correspondingto one or more brainwave states. For example, a stage may provide asweep of entrainment frequencies (such as incremental or continuousincrease/decrease of frequency) within a frequency range of onebrainwave state or two or more adjacent brainwave states. For example,another stage may provide alternating entrainment frequenciescorresponding to within a frequency range of one brainwave state orbetween frequency ranges of two or more brainwave states. The inventorshave discovered that the controlling the entrainment frequencies oflight to emit over a plurality of frequencies (such as the sweeping oralternating entrainment frequencies) greatly enhances the likelihood ofentrainment to a desired frequency. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7G, thedifferent zones may be controlled to emit different wavelengths oflight. According to an embodiment, the different zones may be furthercontrolled to have a synchronized entrainment frequency. For example,the different zones of may be controlled to emit different colors orwavelengths of light, but all the zones are controlled to simultaneouslysweep over a range of entrainment frequencies. Alternatively, the zonesmay be controlled to different entrainment frequencies. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 7D, the foveal zone 58D are controlled tooscillations corresponding to theta waves, while the left and rightfoveal zones are controlled to oscillations corresponding to alphawaves.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system 140 may beconfigured to emit the light directly to the eyes of a user, such as toonly the foveal region of one or both eyes of the user, to only theperipheral regions of one or both eyes of the user, or a combination ofboth the foveal and peripheral regions of one or both eyes of the user.According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system 140 may bedeployed to emit light to an entire room and/or a plurality of users.

According to an embodiment, controller sub-system 130 may be furtherconfigured to control sound and sensation to the user in conjunctionwith the control of the light emitter sub-system 140. In general, themethods and systems of emitting light as described herein may be used inconjunction with other stimuli, such as sound and haptics (orsensation), as described herein. For example, the stimuli (e.g., light,sound, tactile) can be synchronized according to the control aspectsdescribed above.

Emitter Control Based on Audio

As illustrated in FIG. 11, a controller sub-system 130 or othercomputing system may convert an audio file into a correspondingvisualization file to be used with the light emitter sub-system 140 andbone conduction sub-system 170, or the light emitter sub-system 140 andsound emitter sub-system 150.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beconfigured to receive audio data as an input, and to control one or moreof the light emitter sub-system 140, sound emitter sub-system 150,tactile emitter sub-system 160, and/or bone conduction sub-system 170,according to the audio data. For instance, the audio data may beprovided to the controller sub-system 130 as an audio file or streamingaudio content, through a wired connection (e.g., USB), media (e.g., SDcard), or wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi). In an exampleembodiment, the audio data provided to the controller sub-system 130 ismono or stereo and has a 48 kHz sampling rate and 16-bit fidelity (thesame as that of a compact disc). In an example embodiment, the audiodata is a .wav or .mp3 audio file uploaded from an external source.

The controller sub-system 130 may be configured to analyze the audiodata to determine an appropriate emission corresponding to the audiodata. For instance, the controller sub-system 130 may perform ashort-time Fourier transform on the audio data to determine frequencyand/or amplitude of light emission by the light emitter sub-system 140.In an example embodiment, the processing may, based on analysis of theaudio data, create multiple visualization files corresponding tochannels of light emission by the light emitter sub-system 140.

As one example, the light emitter sub-system 140 includes 8 channels ofLEDs, each channel independently controlled according to a 2 kHz, 12-bitpulse-width modulation (PWM) signal output to a TIP120 bipolar junctiontransistor. With the PWM signal having a 2 kHz frequency, a flicker rateof up to 1 kHz may be selected by the controller sub-system 130 for eachLED channel. With the pulse-width modulation signal having a 12-bitfidelity, 4096 different intensities may be selected by the controllersub-system 130 for each LED channel. In such a case, the controllersub-system 130 may create eight independent visualization files on a12-bit map, assigned to each LED channel. It will be appreciated thatother frequencies and/or fidelities may be used without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. For instance, the PWM signal mayincorporate a 30 kHz frequency and/or a 16-bit fidelity.

The control of each LED channel may include a certain flicker rate basedon the analysis of the audio data. The controller sub-system 130 maydetermine a maximum and minimum flicker rate for each LED channel, andcontrol each LED channel of the light emitter sub-system 140independently according to the determined maximum and minimum flickerrates.

The control of each LED channel may include a certain brightness basedon the analysis of the audio data. The controller sub-system 130 maydetermine a maximum and minimum brightness for each LED channel, andcontrol each LED channel of the light emitter sub-system 140independently according to the determined maximum and minimumbrightnesses.

In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an option tocontrol the range of light emission brightnesses and/or the range oflight emission flicker rates for the experience. In an exampleembodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may, if the user changes thebrightness range or the flicker rate, notify the user that such changemay reduce the overall experience compared to the brightness and/orflicker rate ranges determined by the controller sub-system 130.

In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an option tocontrol a number of stages of the experience and/or the duration of eachstage. In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an optionto create the audio data to be analyzed by the controller sub-system 130for the experience.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 maycontrol the sound emitter sub-system 150 based on the audio data. Forexample, the sound emitter sub-system 150 may include Bluetooth wirelessheadphones worn by the user or a Bluetooth speaker, and the controllersub-system 130 may control the wireless headphones or speaker to emitthe audio data. According to an example embodiment, the controllersub-system emits the audio data through the wireless headphones orspeaker in synchronization with light control of the light emittersub-system, according to the audio data.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 maycontrol the bone conduction sub-system 170 based on the audio data. Forexample, the sound emitter sub-system 150 may include Bluetooth wirelessbone conduction headphones worn by the user, and the controllersub-system 130 may control the wireless headphones to emit the audiodata. According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-systememits the audio data through the bone conduction headphones insynchronization with light control of the light emitter sub-system,according to the audio data.

Emitter Control Based on API

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 maycontrol an array of lights of the device. For example, one or morelights of the light emitter sub-system 140 may be controlled by anapplication programming interface (API), such as a musical instrumentdigital interface (MIDI) API. According to an example embodiment, theAPI may be a physical control surface such as, for example, but notlimited to an AKAI MIDIMIX controller or other physical control surface.According to an example embodiment, the API may be a virtual controlsurface such as, for example, but not limited to a LEMUR controller orother virtual control surface. According to an example embodiment, theAPI may be a digital audio workstation (DAW) automation lane controlsurface such as, for example, but not limited to an Ableton controlleror other automation lane control surface. The API may provide creativecontrol to a user and/or enable repeatable and replayable experiences ofthe device. Example user interfaces are illustrated at FIGS. 12 and 13,which provide the various controls described below.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may include anoscillator to control the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140. The oscillator may generally include any number ofcontrols described above, such as a swatch control and a wave control.As explained in more detail below, a single oscillator may be used or aplurality of oscillators may be used in combination to control the oneor more lights of the light emitter sub-system 140.

The swatch may include a mixture of different color channels to controlthe color or colors of the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140. According to an embodiment, the swatch may furtherinclude a brightness control to control the brightness of the one ormore lights of the light emitter sub-system 140. The mixture ofdifferent color channels may be a mixture of 8 individual LED colorchannels. According to other embodiments, the mixture of different colorchannels may be a mixture of other numbers of individual LED colorchannels, such as greater than 8 different color channels, 16 or moredifferent color channels, 24 or more different color channels, 32 ormore different color channels, 48 or more different color channels, 64or more different color channels, and so on. According to an embodiment,each individual LED color channel may correspond to a different light ofthe light emitter sub-system 140. According to an embodiment, the colorchannel for each LED may be linked or correspond to each number in arange of 0-127 MIDI values.

According to an embodiment, the brightness control may be a masterbrightness that controls the brightness of the one or more lights of thelight emitter sub-system 140. The brightness output of a light may bethe product of a light's color channel brightness and the light's masterbrightness. The brightness control may control one or both of colorchannel brightness and/or master brightness. According to an embodiment,the brightness control may adjust the brightness of one, some, or all ofthe color channels of the swatch described above. For example, where thecolor channel for each LED is linked or corresponds to each number in arange of 0-127 MIDI values, each color channel in the range of 0-127MIDI values may be modulated by the master brightness control such thata range of 128² (or 16,384) unique brightnesses may be selected for eachcolor channel. According to an embodiment, the multiplied value may bemapped to a 2¹² pulse width modulation (PWM) number to control the oneor more lights of the light emitter sub-system 140.

The wave control may include a time-varying brightness of the swatch.For example, the wave control may modulate the swatch from a defaultstate to a brightness that is equal to or dimmer than the default state.The time-varying brightness of the swatch may correspond to a waveshape, such as a square wave, a sine wave, a saw up wave, and/or a sawdown wave. According to an embodiment, wave shapes may be linked orcorrespond a range of numbers within the 0-127 MIDI values. For example,values in the range of 0-31 may be a square wave, values in the range of32-63 may be a sine wave, values in the range of 64-91 may be a saw upwave, values in the range of 92-127 may be a saw down wave. According toan embodiment, a single oscillator may have wave control according toonly one wave shape, such as a sine wave. According to an embodiment,when a plurality of oscillators is used, different oscillators may havedifferent wave shapes.

According to an embodiment, the rate of wave oscillation or frequencybetween a maximum brightness and a minimum brightness may be providedthrough a frequency control. In order to obtain a high degree ofcontrol, the frequency control may provide both coarse frequency controland fine frequency control. According to an embodiment, the coarsefrequency control may control integer frequency between 0-127 Hz, andthe fine frequency control may control from 0.00 Hz to 0.99 Hz. Incombination, the coarse frequency control and the fine frequency controlmay provide a range of control from 0.00 Hz to 127.99 Hz in 0.01 Hzincrements.

According to an embodiment, phase control of the waves may be provided.For example, phase control may provide phase shift of a wave relative toother waves. As explained above, for example, multiple oscillators maybe concurrently used and one or more waves from the respective one ormore oscillators may be shifted relative to the other waves. A180-degree phase shift is illustrated in the wave of FIG. 10B. The phaseshift to offset the different waves may be used to provide differentflickering patterns of the one or more lights of the light emittersub-system 140. According to an embodiment, the phase may be controlledby a single MIDI control from 0-127 MIDI values. The 0-127 MIDI valuesmay adjust phase from a negative phase angle to a positive phase angle.For example, each integer value in the 0-127 MIDI value range mayprovide 5-degree angle shift to give a total range of 640-degrees ofphase angle shift. According to an embodiment, different angle shiftsmay be provide for each integer value in the 0-127 MIDI value range,such as a 1-degree angle shift, greater than 5-degree angle shift, orother angle shifts.

According to an embodiment, the depth or relative dimming between thebrightest and dimmest parts of a wave may be controlled by a depthcontrol. For example, a depth of 100% may indicate that a waveoscillates between the swatch color and black, such as illustrated inthe wave of FIG. 10A. A depth of 80% may indicate that the waveoscillates between the swatch color and 80% dimmer than the swatchcolor. A 30% depth is illustrated in the wave of FIG. 10B. According toan embodiment, the depth control may be provided by a single MIDIcontrol channel. According to an embodiment, a single MIDI controlchannel with a range of 0-127 MIDI values may be mapped to depth valuesfrom 0% to 100%.

According to an embodiment, a width of a square wave, which indicates aproportion of the square wave that is in the max brightness statecompared to the total period of the waveform, may be controlled by apulse width control. For example, a pulse width of 25% may indicate thatthe wave is bright 25% of the time and dim 75% of the time, such asillustrated in the wave of FIG. 10C. According to an embodiment, asingle MIDI control channel with a range of 0-127 MIDI values may bemapped to pulse values from 0% to 100%.

According to an embodiment, a single oscillator may include a number ofchannels corresponding to any number of control channels describedabove. For example, a single oscillator may include 15 channels (8 colorchannels, 1 master brightness channel, 1 shape channel, 2 frequencychannels, 1 phase channel, 1 depth channel, and 1 width channel). Thenumber of channels included with a single oscillator may vary dependingon the number of controls desired, such as if more color channels aredesired. For example, FIG. 12 is an example user interface to control asingle oscillator according to the controls described above.

According to an embodiment, any number of oscillators may be used withthe device. For example, a plurality of oscillators, such as 4 uniqueoscillators, may be used to provide a large variety of distinctiveflickering patterns. If each oscillator includes 15 channels, the devicemay be controlled with 60 channels as automation lanes. For example,FIG. 13 is an example user interface to control 4 oscillators accordingto the controls described above.

According to an embodiment, the system 100, such as implemented in awearable device, may be used by a user to alter the user's cognitivestate or increase likelihood of altering their brainwaves.

The sensor sub-system 110 of the system 100 may sense and trackbiometric data related to emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and/or sleepquality or function of the user, as explained above.

The controller sub-system 130 may determine or predict the cognitivestate or dominant brainwave of the user based on the biometric data.

The controller sub-system 130 may suggest a modification to the user'scognitive state or dominant brainwave based on the biometric data.Alternatively, the user may select a desired cognitive state or desireddominant brainwave, or the modification selected by the controllersub-system 130.

After the user selects the cognitive state or brainwave, the user mayraise the device(s) (which has/have already been placed on the forearms,wrists, or hands) to the eyes so that the devices can apply thephoto-stimulation to the eyes, and tactile-stimulation to the eyes andface, and optional auditory-stimulation to the user, as explained above,to illicit the desired modification to the user's brainwaves or alteredcognitive state. For example, the stimulations may illicit or increasethe likelihood of a dominant brainwave or altered cognitive state.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may use analgorithm to elicit or increase the likelihood of a dominant brainwaveor altered cognitive state. For example, if the system 100 senses anelevated level of stress in the user, the controller sub-system 130 canuse the algorithm to suggest a level of photo-stimulation,tactile-stimulation, and/or auditory-stimulation to modify the user'sbrainwaves to alleviate the stress. According to an embodiment, thecontroller sub-system 130 may use the algorithm to suggest a level ofphoto-stimulation, tactile-stimulation, and optionalauditory-stimulation to produce a temporary hallucination or feeling ofeuphoria in the user.

The algorithms used by the controller sub-system 130 may be constructedfrom multimodal physiological data, including from measurement ofbrainwave activity, combined with the subjective reports of emotionaland/or stress states of a user before and after stimulation is applied.The physiological and subjective data sets may be used to train amachine learning algorithm in a supervised learning procedure thatclassifies brainwave composition and cognitive/emotional states basedupon the user's biometric data. The machine learning framework mayinclude the construction of proprietary predictive algorithms used bythe controller sub-system 130 that specify optimized stimulationparameters from the emitter sub-systems based upon feature extractionfrom multimodal biosignals, classification of user states, andpredictive model validation. The controller sub-system 130 algorithm mayuse the user's biometric data to assign personalized stimulationproperties to the emitter sub-systems described above.

Wearable Embodiment

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system 100may be implemented as one or more devices worn on the body of a user(also known as a “wearable device”). For example, the system 100 may beprovided on each of a user's forearms, wrists, or hands. According to anexample embodiment, the entirety of the system 100 may be implemented asone or more wearable devices.

According to an example embodiment, the system 100 may be implemented asone or more wearable devices, worn on a body of the user so that one ormore markers of the user's parasympathetic nervous system is sensed bythe sensor sub-system 110 and recorded by the controller sub-system 130.One example embodiment, implemented as two wristbands or armbands, isillustrated in FIG. 14. Although this embodiment is described withrespect to two wristbands, the system may be implemented with a singlewristband, with three or more wristbands, or with bands that are worn onparts of the body other than the wrist, without deviating from thespirit of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 15, the system 100 may be constructed as two wristbandassemblies, each having a band 102 and an emitter assembly 104.According to an embodiment, the emitter assembly 104 may include thesensor sub-system 110, the emitter sub-system 120, and the controllersub-system 130. The emitter assembly 104 may further include wired orwireless transceivers to communicate with each other. For example, thecontroller sub-systems 130 of the emitter assembly 104 may communicatewith each other via the respective transceivers. According to anembodiment, the band 102 may include one or more of the sensorsub-system 110 and/or the controller subsystem 130, or portions of thesensor sub-system 110 and/or the controller subsystem 130. The band 102may also include portions of the emitter sub-system 120.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated at FIGS. 14-15, the one ormore sensors of the sub-sensor system 110 may be integrated into thesystem 100 when implemented as a wearable device. For example, the oneor more sensors of the sensor sub-system 110 may be located in the band102 or the emitter assembly 104, to sense one or more biometric markersat the inner wrist facing a first direction through the wrist.

According to an embodiment, one or more lights 142, forming part of thelight emitter sub-system 140 of the emitter sub-system 120, may beprovided at an end of the emitter assembly 104. In this example, the oneor more lights 142 may be provided at a perimeter or circumference ofthe surface of the emitter assembly 104 and may be outwardly facing froma user's palm when in use. The one or more lights may be, for example, amicro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) configured to emit light at apredetermined frequency and brightness (e.g. photo-stimulation),according to the controller sub-system 130. For example, the one or morelights may provide a visual stimulus (for example, photo-stimulation) tothe user when the light emitter sub-system 140 is moved to a locationadjacent to the user's face and eyes. The light emitter sub-system 140may be sized so that all emitted light is applied to the foveal area ofone or both eyes of the user. According to an embodiment, the one ormore lights may be covered with a diffuser material to reduce intensityof one or more wavelengths of light. Alternatively, no diffuser materialcovers the one or more lights so that the full emitted spectrum of lightwavelengths is directly applied to the user. The light may be applieddirectly to the foveal region of the user's eyes when the eyes are open,or when the eyes are closed.

According to an embodiment, one or more speakers 152, forming part ofthe sound emitter sub-system 150 of the emitter sub-system 120, may beprovided at one or both ends of the emitter assembly 104. The one ormore speakers 152 may be provided within the perimeter or circumferenceof the surface of the emitter assembly 104 and may be outwardly facingfrom a user's palm when in use.

According to an embodiment, the tactile emitter sub-system 160, formingpart of the tactile emitter sub-system 160 and/or the bone conductionsub-system 170 of the emitter sub-system 120, may be located in thewearable device. The one or more motors 162 may be provided at an end ofthe emitter assembly 104. In this example, the one or more motors 162are provided at one or both ends of the emitter assembly 104 in order toprovide tactile stimulation towards the palm and/or wrist of the userand/or bone conduction stimulation if the wearable device is contactedto a bone conduction-sensitive area of the user's body (e.g., jawbone orcheekbone). According to an embodiment, the one or more motors 162 maybe provided with the band 102 in order to provide tactile stimulation tothe wrist of the user and/or bone conduction stimulation to the boneconduction-sensitive area of the user's body.

According to an embodiment, the band 102 may be a flexible, thin,silicon or silicon-like cuff and may be configured to hold electronicsor portions associated with the various systems described below. Theemitter assembly 104 may configured to hold electronics or portionsassociated with the various systems described below. The emitterassembly 104 may include a patch configured for affixation to, or heldin the palm of a user when in use.

According to an example embodiment, the emitter assembly 104 may bedetachably affixed to the band 102. For example, the emitter assembly104 and the band 102 may be affixed together by one or more magnets (notshown) integrated into one or both of the emitter assembly 104 and theband 102 at their contact points. The magnets provide retention ofemitter assembly 104 and the band 102 based on magnetic force, whilepermitting the user to detach the emitter assembly 104 while continuingto wear the band 102.

According to an example embodiment, only a single controller sub-system130 is provided in one wristband assembly among multiple wristbandassemblies. For instance, a first wristband assembly may include asensor sub-system 110 and an emitter sub-system 120, and a controllersub-system 130, while a second wristband assembly may include contain asensor sub-system 110′ an emitter sub-system 120′, and optionally acontroller sub-system 130′. The controller sub-system 130 provided inthe first wristband may receive sensed data from both sensor sub-systems110 and 110′ and also control both emitter sub-systems 120 and 120′. Ofcourse, it will be appreciated that the controller sub-system 130 mayalternatively be provided in the second wristband instead of the firstwristband. It will be further appreciated that the sensor sub-systems110 and 110′ may be identical or may be different. For instance, in thecase that the sensor sub-systems are different, the various sensorsprovided in the system 100 may be divided amongst the sensor sub-systems110 and 110′. In the case that the sensor sub-systems are identical, themultiple sensors for each sensing criteria may provide redundancy and/oradditional sensor readings specific to the individual parts of the bodyfor which the particular wristband is worn. Likewise, the emittersub-systems 120 and 120′ may be identical or may be different tocollectively provide the functionality to apply the various stimuli tothe user.

According to an embodiment, the system 100 may be implemented as one ormore patches applied to a body of a user, such as to the wrists orpalms, with an adhesive or material that is able to adhere to the skinof the user. The two patches of the system 100 may each contain a sensorsub-system 110, an emitter sub-system 120, and a controller sub-system130. The patches may further include transceivers to communicate witheach other. For example, the respective controller sub-systems 130 maycommunicate with each other via respective transceivers.

According to an embodiment, only a single controller sub-system 130 isprovided among multiple patches. For instance, a first patch may includea sensor sub-system 110, an emitter sub-system 120, and a controllersub-system 130, while a second patch may include a sensor system 110′and an emitter system 120′. The controller sub-system 130 provided inthe first patch may receive sensed data from both sensor sub-systems 110and 110′ and also control both emitter sub-systems 120 and 120′.According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 may beprovided in the second patch instead of the first patch. According to anembodiment, the sensor sub-systems 110 and 110′ may be identical or maybe different. For instance, in the case that the sensor sub-systems aredifferent, the various sensors provided in the system 100 may be dividedamongst the sensor sub-systems 110 and 110′. In the case that the sensorsub-systems are identical, the multiple sensors for each sensingcriteria may provide redundancy and/or additional sensor readingsspecific to the individual parts of the body for which the particularpatch is worn. Likewise, the emitter sub-systems 120 and 120′ may beidentical or may be different to collectively provide the functionalityto apply the various stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, one orboth wristbands or armbands may include one or more lights of the lightemitter sub-system 140. According to an embodiment, one or both patchesmay include one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system 140.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, one orboth wristbands or armbands may include one or more speakers of thesound emitter sub-system 150. According to an embodiment, one or bothpatches may include one or more speakers of the sound emitter sub-system150.

According to an embodiment, one or both wristbands or armbands mayinclude one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system 160.According to an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or moremotors of the tactile emitter sub-system 160.

According to an embodiment, one or both wristbands or armbands mayinclude one or more motors of the bone conduction system 170. Accordingto an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or more motors ofthe bone conduction sub-system 170.

It will be appreciated that the functionality described with respect toemitter assembly 104 and motors 162 is likewise applicable to emitterassembly 104′ and motors 162′.

Therapeutic Embodiment

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system 100may be implemented as a therapeutic device.

In an embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 16, the system 100 may include achair 14, the light emitter 16, and a connecting device 18 that couplesthe light emitter 16 to the chair 14. The chair 14 may be adjustable invarious aspects including but not limited to, recline/tilt, head or footrest adjustment, lumbar adjustment, and/or any other adjustment.According to an embodiment, the adjustability of these elements includesadjustment in both translation and orientation directions. According toan embodiment, the chair 14 is of a category as a “zero gravity” chair.The light emitter 16 emits light towards a subject 12, as described infurther detail below. The connecting device 18 may be an articulatingarm, a jointed linkage, or other device capable of positioning and/ororienting the light emitter 16 in relation to the subject 12 and/or thechair 14. According to an embodiment, the connecting device 18 maycouple the light emitter 16 to a different support component separatefrom the chair 14, such as a ceiling or a wall. The system 10 may applyone or more stimuli in order to increase the likelihood of a desiredbrain wave or state, as described herein.

In an embodiment, FIG. 17 illustrates an overhead view of the lightemitter 16 emitting light towards the subject 12, while FIGS. 18A and18B illustrate various perspective views of the light emitter 16. Thelight emitter 16 may include or be coupled to a connector 20. Theconnector 20 may connect the light emitter 16 to the connecting device18 (as shown in FIG. 16). As described in more detail to follow, thelight emitter 16 may be sized, shaped, and dimensioned to generallyconform to the profile (e.g., size, shape and/or dimension) of thesubject's head 22. As illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the connector 20may allow for the light emitter 16 to move with respect to theconnecting device 18, providing additional adjustability in positioningand orienting the light emitter 16 in relation to the subject 12 and/orthe chair 14. The connector 20 may allow for single or multi-dimensional(e.g., three-dimensional) movement of the light emitter 16. In thismanner, the light emitter 16 may be placed in a preferred or desiredlocation about the subject's head 22 or eyes (as shown in FIG. 17). Inone example embodiment, the light emitter 16 may be in the shape of acurved elongated oval.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the light emitter 16 may be sized based onthe average human head height. That is, the average human head heightmay be used to define the height of the light emitter 16. In an example,the average human head may have a height 24. The height 24 may be about8.9 inches (about 22.61 cm). The height 26 of the light emitter 16 maybe dimensioned taking into account the height 24. For example, theheight 26 may be about 5 inches (about 12.7 cm). The height 26 may be inthe range of about 4.75 inches to about 5.25 inches (about 12.07 cm toabout 13.34 cm), about 4.875 inches to about 5.125 inches (about 12.38cm to about 13.02 cm), about 4.5 inches to about 5.5 inches (about 11.43cm to about to about 13. 97 cm), or about 4 inches to about 6 inches(about 10.16 cm to about 15.24 cm). Of course, it will be appreciatedthat the light emitter 16 may be smaller or larger in height than theaforementioned dimensions.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, the light emitter 16 may be sized based onthe average human head width. That is, the average human head width maybe used to define the width of the light emitter 16. In an example, theaverage human head may have a width 28. The width 28 may be about 5.5inches (about 11.43 cm). The width 30 of the light emitter 16 may bedimensioned taking into account the width 28. For example, the width 30may be about 12.5 inches (about 31.75 cm). The width 30 may be in therange of about 12.25 inches to about 12.75 inches (about 31.12 cm toabout 32.39 cm), about 12 inches to about 13 inches (about 30.48 cm toabout 33.02 cm), about 11.5 inches to about 13.5 inches (about 29.21 cmto about 34.29 cm), or about 11 inches to about 14 inches (about 27.94cm to about 35.56 cm). Of course, it will be appreciated that the lightemitter 16 may be smaller or larger in width than the aforementioneddimensions.

With continued reference to FIGS. 16-20, the light emitter 16 mayinclude a housing, one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs), and adiffuser screen 32. The lighting emitter 16 and the diffuser screen 32may be formed as described above with respect to FIGS. 2-9. The housingmay be elongated and/or curved. The housing may contain or house thediffuser screen 32 and the one or more PCBs. For example, the PCBs maybe placed between the housing and the diffuser screen 32. The diffuserscreen 32 may be a diffuser material overlaid onto the PCBs. The PCBsand/or the diffuser screen 32 may be secured, either permanently orremovably, to the housing using various fastening mechanisms, such asadhesive, screws, and/or retention clips. The light emitter 16 may beformed as one or more lighting units 40 as described above.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, the light emitter 16 may include the diffuserscreen 32 at an inner surface of the light emitter 16. For example, thediffuser screen 32 may be an elongated and/or curved piece oftranslucent material. The diffuser screen 32 may have an arc length 34.The arc length 34 may be dimensioned taking into account the dimensionsof the average human head. For example, the arc length 34 may be about30 inches (about 76.2 cm). The arc length 34 may be about 25 inches toabout 35 inches (about 63.5 cm to about 88.9 cm), about 26 inches toabout 34 inches (about 66.04 cm to about 86.36 cm), about 27 inches toabout 33 inches (about 68.58 cm to about 83.82 cm), about 28 inches toabout 32 inches (about 71.12 cm to about 81.28 cm), or about 29 inchesto about 31 inches (about 73.66 cm to about 78.74 cm).

In an embodiment, the diffuser screen 32 may be arranged as illustratedin FIG. 3 when in a laid flat arrangement. The laid flat arrangement ofFIG. 3 may be an approximation of the diffuser screen 32 of the lightemitter 16 if it were laid out flat. The laid flat diffuser screen 32may have a length 36 along the major axis and a height 38 along theminor axis. The length 36 may be about the same as the arc length 34. Inan example, the length 36 may be about 30 inches (about 76.2 cm). Theheight 38 may be about the same as the height 26. In an example, theheight 38 may be about 5 inches (about 12.7 cm). The laid flat diffuserscreen 32 may have an aspect ratio of 6:1. The diffuser screen 32 mayhave a surface area of about 118 square inches (about 761.29 square cm).The diffuser screen 32 may have a surface area about equal to theilluminated surface area of a 13 inch laptop screen.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3 and 16-20, the light emitter 16 andthe diffuser screen 32 may curve about an axis. The light emitter 16 anddiffuser screen 32 may curve about a vertical plane or vertical axis 33(FIG. 18A). The light emitter 16 and diffuser screen 32 may curve abouta horizontal plane or horizontal axis 35 (FIG. 18B). The light emitter16 and diffuser screen 32 may have about a 6 inch (about 15.24 cm) bendradius about the vertical axis 33. The bend radius about the verticalaxis 33 may be around the subject's brow (e.g., around the width of thesubject's head). The bend radius about the vertical axis 33 may resultin a bend of the light emitter 16 and the diffuser screen 32. The lightemitter 16 and the diffuser screen 32 may have a second bend radiusabout the horizontal axis 35 (e.g., around the height of the subject'shead). The second bend radius may result in a cup effect of the lightdiffuser 16 and diffuser screen 32. The second bend radius may beoptional. Although not depicted in FIGS. 3 and 16-20, the PCBs may curveabout the vertical plane or vertical axis and/or the horizontal plane orhorizontal axis, as will be described in more detail to follow.

According to an embodiment, the individual zones of the light emitter 16may be controlled by the controller sub-system 130, as described above,to emit one or more predetermined wavelengths of light from one or morezones or have no light emission from one or more zones. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 7D, the foveal zone of the light emitter 16 may emitone or more visual wavelengths of light, while the left peripheral andright peripheral zones emit only one or more non-visual wavelengths oflight. As another example, the foveal zone of the light emitter 16 mayemit no light, while the left peripheral and right peripheral zones emitonly one or more non-visual wavelengths of light. As another example,the foveal zone of the light emitter 16 may emit only one or morenon-visual wavelengths of light, while the left peripheral and rightperipheral zones emit no light. In any configuration, the light may beapplied directly to the foveal and/or peripheral regions of the user'seyes when the eyes are open, or when the eyes are closed.

In an embodiment, the diffuser material is omitted for one or more ofthe zones so that the full emitted spectrum of light wavelengths isdirectly applied to the user.

Room Embodiment

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system 100may be implemented as a household or commercial device to be placed in aroom setting.

As illustrated in FIGS. 21A-21C, the light emitter sub-system 140 may beconfigured to emit light to an area via a central emitter 800, such as aceiling projector 800′ (FIG. 21A), a wall panel 800″ (FIG. 21B), and/ora lamp 800′″ (FIG. 21C). According to an embodiment, the area may be ofan appropriate size in which one person or a plurality of people can sitor stand. For example, the area may be a bedroom, a living room, orother partially or fully enclosed area.

For example, the system 100 may be configured to emulate a predeterminedspectrum of light, such as a measured spectrum of light emitted from thenight sky, to one or more users. According to an embodiment, thepredetermined spectrum of light may be according to a spectrum of lightmeasured or determined from a particular geographic location at aparticular time of the year and at a particular time of the day ornight. For example, a desired light spectrum in a room may be the lightspectrum of the nighttime sky in a remote geographic location (withlittle or no light pollution).

The sensor sub-system 110 may be used to sense or measure a spectrum oflight in a room. For example, the spectrum of light in a room may comefrom ambient lights sources from within a room (such as lights fromelectronic devices) and/or from external to the room. The sensorsub-system 110 may sense or measure the light spectrum (both visual andnon-visual light spectrum) in a darkened room. Based on the sensed ormeasured light spectrum, controller sub-system 130 may compare thesensed or measured light spectrum with a desired light spectrum anddetermine any wavelengths of light that are deficient in the darkenedroom relative to the desired light spectrum and/or determine anywavelengths of light that are in excess in the darkened room relative tothe desired light spectrum.

When one or more wavelengths of light are determined to be in excess inthe darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum, the controllersub-system 130 may inform the user (such as via a user interface) thatof a range of wavelengths that are in excess and/or recommend furtherdarkening of the room.

When one or more wavelengths of light are determined to be deficient inthe darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum, the controllersub-system 130 may further determine one or more light wavelengths andintensities to emulate the desired light spectrum. The controllersub-system 130 may control the central emitter 800 to emit only the oneor more light wavelengths and intensities to emulate the desired lightspectrum in the darkened room.

As an example, a desired light spectrum may contain a predeterminedamount of UV and IR light. For a darkened room that is determined by thesensor sub-system 110 and controller sub-system 130 to have no UV and IRlight, the controller sub-system 130 may control the central emitter 800to emit UV and IR light to match the desired light spectrum. Forexample, the system 100 may be configured to entrain the user to adesired circadian rhythm. According to an embodiment, the system 100 mayinclude a predetermined cycle and timing of light and dark of a naturalday, with a predetermined sunrise (dawn) and a predetermined sunset(dusk) with the predetermined types and amounts of light describedabove.

Eyes-Closed Operation

In the embodiments described above, the light emitting sub-system 140may be configured to emit light to a user's eyes while the user's eyesare closed. In particular, the light emitted from the light emittingsub-system 140 is transmitted through the user's eyelids. By operatingthe system 100 while the user's eyes are closed, the visual stimulusperceived by the user is isolated to the light emitted by thelight-emitting sub-system 140.

In one embodiment, the sensor sub-system 110 may determine when theuser's eyes are open or closed. For example, with respect to theembodiments described above when the light emitter sub-system 140 isconfigured to emit light to one user, the sensor sub-system 110 maysense or determine an open position or a closed position of the user'seyes. When the user's eyes are sensed or determined to be open,controller sub-system 130 may control the light emitter sub-system 140to emit light at a first predetermined intensity, may stop emitting onlyvisual light and/or non-visual light. When the user's eyes are sensed ordetermined to be closed, the controller sub-system 130 may control thelight emitter sub-system 140 to emit light at a second predeterminedintensity to account for diffusion through or translucency of light theuser's eyelids. In one embodiment, the controller sub-system 130 maycontinuously monitor the open/close status of the user's eyes (e.g., atpredetermined intervals), and control the light emitter sub-system 140to refrain from emitting light until it is sensed that the user's eyesare closed.

The embodiments described above may be generally used to entrain auser's brainwaves to a desired wavelength.

With reference to FIG. 22, an exemplary system of the controllersub-systems described above includes a general-purpose computing device400, including a processing unit (CPU or processor) 420 and a system bus410 that couples various system components including the system memory430 such as read-only memory (ROM) 440 and random access memory (RAM)450 to the processor 420. The system 400 can include a cache ofhigh-speed memory connected directly with, in close proximity to, orintegrated as part of the processor 420. The system 400 copies data fromthe memory 430 and/or the storage device 460 to the cache for quickaccess by the processor 420. In this way, the cache provides aperformance boost that avoids processor 420 delays while waiting fordata. These and other modules can control or be configured to controlthe processor 420 to perform various actions. Other system memory 430may be available for use as well. The memory 430 can include multipledifferent types of memory with different performance characteristics. Itcan be appreciated that the disclosure may operate on a computing device400 with more than one processor 420 or on a group or cluster ofcomputing devices networked together to provide greater processingcapability. The processor 420 can include any general purpose processorand a hardware module or software module, such as module 1 462, module 2464, and module 3 466 stored in storage device 460, configured tocontrol the processor 420 as well as a special-purpose processor wheresoftware instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design.The processor 420 may essentially be a completely self-containedcomputing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memorycontroller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric orasymmetric.

The system bus 410 may be any of several types of bus structuresincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. A basicinput/output (BIOS) stored in ROM 440 or the like, may provide the basicroutine that helps to transfer information between elements within thecomputing device 400, such as during start-up. The computing device 400further includes storage devices 460 such as a hard disk drive, amagnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, tape drive or the like. Thestorage device 460 can include software modules 462, 464, 466 forcontrolling the processor 420. Other hardware or software modules arecontemplated. The storage device 460 is connected to the system bus 410by a drive interface. The drives and the associated computer-readablestorage media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputing device 400. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs aparticular function includes the software component stored in a tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium in connection with the necessaryhardware components, such as the processor 420, bus 410, display 470,and so forth, to carry out the function. In another aspect, the systemcan use a processor and computer-readable storage medium to storeinstructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto perform a method or other specific actions. The basic components andappropriate variations are contemplated depending on the type of device,such as whether the device 400 is a small, handheld computing device, adesktop computer, or a computer server.

Although the exemplary embodiment described herein employs the hard disk460, other types of computer-readable media which can store data thatare accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memories(RAMs) 450, and read-only memory (ROM) 440, may also be used in theexemplary operating environment. Tangible computer-readable storagemedia, computer-readable storage devices, or computer-readable memorydevices, expressly exclude media such as transitory waves, energy,carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 400, an inputdevice 490 represents any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 470 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodalsystems enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicatewith the computing device 400. The communications interface 480generally governs and manages the user input and system output. There isno restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement andtherefore the basic features here may easily be substituted for improvedhardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

Use of language such as “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” “at least one ofX, Y, or Z,” “at least one or more of X, Y, and Z,” “at least one ormore of X, Y, or Z,” “at least one or more of X, Y, and/or Z,” or “atleast one of X, Y, and/or Z,” are intended to be inclusive of both asingle item (just X, or just Y, or just Z) and multiple items (i.e., {Xand Y}, {X and Z}, {Y and Z}, or {X, Y, and Z}). “At least one of” isnot intended to convey a requirement that each possible item must bepresent.

Although the foregoing description is directed to the embodiments of theinvention, it is noted that other variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art, and may be made without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention. Moreover, features describedin connection with one embodiment of the invention may be used inconjunction with other embodiments, even if not explicitly stated above.

We claim:
 1. A system for altering brainwaves, the system comprising: afirst stimulus emitter comprising a plurality of lights arranged in anarray, wherein the plurality of lights are configured to direct lighttowards a user; and a controller comprising a processor and anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructionsstored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:control the first stimulus emitter to emit a first stimulus at a firstintensity and a first oscillation frequency, control the first stimulusemitter to adjust the first stimulus to a second oscillation frequency,control a second stimulus emitter, comprising at least one sound emitterconfigured to direct sound towards a user, to emit a second stimulus ata second intensity and a third oscillation frequency, and control thesecond stimulus emitter to adjust the second stimulus to a fourthoscillation frequency.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstoscillation frequency and the third oscillation frequency comprise atleast one frequency corresponding to a brainwave state, wherein thesecond oscillation frequency and the fourth oscillation frequencycomprise at least one frequency corresponding to a different brainwavestate.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the brainwave state comprisesone of: a gamma state having a range of frequencies greater than 40 Hz;a beta state having a range of frequencies between about 13 Hz and about39 Hz; an alpha state having a range of frequencies between about 7 Hzand about 13 Hz; a theta state having a range of frequencies betweenabout 4 Hz and about 7 Hz; or a delta state having a range offrequencies less than about 4 Hz.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thefirst oscillation frequency and the third oscillation frequency compriseat least one frequency within a range of frequencies corresponding toone brainwave state, wherein the second oscillation frequency and thefourth oscillation frequency comprise a different frequency within therange of frequencies corresponding to the one brainwave state.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the range of frequencies corresponding to onebrainwave state comprises: a gamma state having a range of frequenciesgreater than 40 Hz; a beta state having a range of frequencies betweenabout 13 Hz and about 39 Hz; an alpha state having a range offrequencies between about 7 Hz and about 13 Hz; a theta state having arange of frequencies between about 4 Hz and about 7 Hz; or a delta statehaving a range of frequencies less than about 4 Hz.
 6. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the array is divided into a plurality of zonescomprising a first zone having a first plurality of lights and a secondzone having a second plurality of lights.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the first stimulus emitted from the first zone is controlledindependently from the first stimulus emitted from the second zone. 8.The system of claim 7, wherein the first zone is a foveal zoneconfigured to emit the first stimulus to a foveal area of an eye of auser, wherein the second zone is a peripheral zone configured to emitthe first stimulus to a peripheral area of the eye of the user.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the peripheral zone is configured to emit thefirst stimulus to only the peripheral area of the eye of the user. 10.The system of claim 7, wherein the oscillation frequency of the firstzone is different than the oscillation frequency of the second zone. 11.The system of claim 7, wherein the first stimulus emitted from the firstzone is configured to be visually perceptible to the user, wherein thefirst stimulus emitted from the second zone is configured to be visuallyimperceptible to the use.
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprisinga diffuser configured to diffuse the light emitted from the firststimulus emitter.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the UV absorptionproperty in a first portion of the diffuser is different from the UVabsorption property in a second portion of the diffuser.
 14. The systemof claim 1, wherein the first stimulus emitter is curved and adapted tobe placed at least partially around a user's head and in front of theuser's eyes.
 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a diffuserthat diffuses light emitted by the array, wherein the array and thediffuser are curved and adapted to be placed at least partially around auser's head and in front of the user's eyes.
 16. The system of claim 1,wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to: receive, from at least one sensor configured to sense oneor more biometric markers of a user, data associated with the one ormore biometric markers of the user, determine a brain state of the userbased on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers ofthe user, determine a desired brain state of the user based on inputfrom the user, and control the first stimulus emitter the secondstimulus emitter to apply the first stimulus and the second stimulus tothe user based on the determined brain state and the desired brainstate.
 17. The system of claim 1, further comprising the second stimulusemitter.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processorto: control a light emitter to emit light stimulus to a user to alterthe brain state of the user to a desired brain state, wherein thecontrol includes controlling the light emitter in a plurality of stages,each stage corresponding to a desired brainwave entrainment frequency.19. A system for entraining the user's circadian rhythms, the systemcomprising: an emitter corresponding to at least one stimulus configuredto be applied to the user, the at least one stimulus including light;and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations to:determine light conditions that correspond to reproduced light spectrabased on a predefined natural sunrise and sunset light condition; adjustspectral composition to change in time to match the predefined naturalsunrise and sunset light condition; and project light at a predeterminedtime to stimulate the user to entrain a predetermined circadian rythym.20. A system for supporting a user's sleep, the system comprising atleast one sensor configured to sense one or more biometric markers of auser; an emitter comprising at least one stimulus configured to beapplied to the user; and a controller comprising a processor and anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructionsstored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor toperform operations to: receive, from the at least one sensor, dataassociated with the one or more biometric markers of the user; determinea sleep state of the user based on the data associated with the one ormore biometric markers of the user; determine a desired sleep state ofthe user; and cause the emitter to apply the stimulus to the user toreinforce or alter the user's sleep state.
 21. A system for stimulatinga user, the system comprising: a light emitting device having a firstlight and a second light, wherein the first light is configured to emita first wavelength of light, wherein the second light is configured toemit a second wavelength of light; and a controller for controlling thefirst light and the second light, wherein the first light is controlledto oscillate the first wavelength of light within a first range ofentrainment frequencies, wherein the second light is controlled tooscillate the second wavelength of light within a second range ofentrainment frequencies.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein: the firstlight is controlled to oscillate at a first plurality of predeterminedentrainment frequencies within the first range of entrainmentfrequencies, and the second light is controlled to oscillate at a secondplurality of predetermined entrainment frequencies within the secondrange of entrainment frequencies.